Dhaka: Special Judge Court-4, in its judgment delivered today, observed that convict Tulip Siddique had incited her aunt and then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, along with former personal secretary-1 to the ousted premier Mohammad Salahuddin, to facilitate the allotment of a 10-katha RAJUK plot in the name of her mother, Sheikh Rehana.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the court stated that testimonies of two witnesses, along with their confessional statements recorded under Section 164, established that Tulip Siddique had encouraged her aunt, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as well as Mohammad Salahuddin, to organize the allocation of the plot for her mother, Rehana Siddique. The court found that she communicated with them through mobile and various internet applications, and also directly when she visited Bangladesh.
The judge further noted that Sheikh Hasina had committed criminal misconduct by violating laws and regulations related to plot allotment, abusing her authority, and influencing officials and employees under her control to unlawfully arrange the allotment of the plot in favor of her sister, Sheikh Rehana Siddique.
The court remarked on the pervasive nature of corruption, describing it as a "disease" that has engulfed society and emphasized the necessity for strong collective resistance to eliminate it.
In its judgment today, the court convicted and sentenced ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to five years of imprisonment, Sheikh Rehana to seven years, and Rehana's daughter Tulip Siddique to two years in the Purbachal New Town Project plot allotment scam case.
Judge Robiul Alam of Dhaka Special Judge Court-4 delivered the verdict. The court also fined all three convicts Taka one lakh each, with an additional six months' imprisonment in default.
Additionally, the court convicted and sentenced 14 other accused individuals, including former state minister for Housing and Public Works Sharif Ahmed; former senior assistant secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works Purabi Goldar; former additional secretary Wali Ullah; former additional secretary (Administration) Kazi Wasi Uddin; administrative officer Md Saiful Islam Sarkar; former RAJUK chairman Md Anisur Rahman Miah; and others to five years' imprisonment each.
They were each fined Taka one lakh, with six months' additional imprisonment in default.
The case was initially lodged against 17 people over alleged irregularities in the allocation of the 10-katha plot in the RAJUK Purbachal New Town Project. ACC Deputy Director Md Salahuddin filed the case on January 13, 2025, against 15 individuals, including Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Rehana, and Tulip Siddique. Investigation Officer and ACC Assistant Director Afnan Jannat Keya submitted the charge sheet against 17 accused on March 10.